by John Glynn | Jul 1, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Market & Prices
Catching up on some overdue Porsche insurance valuations today, I tripped over this superb 1970 Porsche 911 2.2 T Targa for sale in Kleve, Germany: just inside the border with The Netherlands.
First registered in May 1970, this Signal Orange 911 Targa has clocked up 135,000 kilometres, or about 84,000 miles. I did email the garage for some better pictures but they haven’t come back to me yet. So I apologise for the picture quality, but you get the idea of potential condition: seems super original to me. I also like the ad text.
“Here we have one of the few completely authentic 911 Targa vehicles, almost as delivered. The car has all the attributes of a historically valuable vehicle, also because of its small sympathetic errors. Average paint coating thickness of 140 My (only a point slightly more).
“Well documented: a plethora of bills, original service history, all keys. The vehicle was picked up in Stuttgart by the original owner. The train ticket from 07/17/1970 is here. Apparently matching numbers, aluminum brake calipers, 5 x “Deep Six Fuchs wheels“, radio, etc.”
No doubt a skilled eye will find some holes to poke in condition, and the ad doesn’t say how many owners, but a nicely patinated Signal Orange Targa with the original train ticket from factory collection? I just love it!
Let’s slip back to July 1970. Jimi Hendrix starts his first recording session in New York City, Casey Kasem’s Top 40 show enjoys its first recording (RIP, dear Casey) and the first Boeing 747 lands in Amsterdam, en route to Brussels.
As the Jumbo touches down in Amsterdam, a man steps on board a train, bound for Stuttgart. Awaiting his arrival is a new-for-1970 C-series 911 Targa, with the brand new 2.2-litre engine and alterations to front suspension geometry for a less fidgety feeling on the road. Signal Orange is the colour of choice: a brave decision.
June 1970 was a fine, sunny month: some German towns enjoyed more than two weeks without rain. July kept it going, and August was also a scorcher. September recorded fifteen days with no rain in some parts of Germany: perfect weather to enjoy a brand new 911T Targa. Oh, to be back in the ’70s!
What’s the verdict? It’s on Mobile.de, priced at €71,000. Not bad money if it’s solid.
by John Glynn | Jun 30, 2014 | Market & Prices, Porsche News
Dropped in to see Jonas Zambakides and a pair of perfect Porsche 911 Turbo S models this morning and catch up on used Porsche sales activity. Some interesting discussions on the state of the market and whether values have indeed peaked: I think we’re on the same page, but that’s a post for another day.
Classic Porsche fans who don’t hang on every detail of newer 911 machinery may be unaware of the 997 & 991 Turbo S. Both of these Weissach-tuned performance Porsche 911 Turbos have just sold, so it’s interesting to compare them in fantasy garage style and wonder what the choice would be if funds allowed.
Porsche 997 Turbo S
Introduced in 2010, the 3.8-litre Porsche 997 Turbo S was developed in response to customer demand for a bit more excitement. How about 523 bhp with 516 lb ft of torque and the sole transmission offering of 7-speed PDK with standard Turbo four-wheel drive. PDK gives launch control, offering 3.3 seconds to 60 mph and a top speed of 196 mph.
Spec includes PCCB (ceramic brakes), dynamic cornering lights, carbon seats, Sport Chrono and centre lock wheels. The Dynamic Engine Mount system is one of my favourite new-Porsche concepts and that is standard on the S. Porsche Torque Vectoring is an active diff that splits power across the rear axle depending on what the car is doing, improving traction and stability.
Porsche 991 Turbo S
New to the market last year, the 2013 Porsche 991 Turbo S beats the 997 in Top Trumps: 552 bhp, 197 mph and the grunt to sprint to 60 in 3.1 seconds. Interestingly, Porsche says it is faster around the Nürburgring than the GT3 RS 4.0, managing a 7:24 on Pilot Sport Cups. Hardly a surprise, but not a point one might expect Stuttgart to make.
Weighing just over 1600 kgs, the 991 Turbo S features the latest active rear wheel steering, active anti-roll bars and active/adaptive aerodynamics. EVO magazine knocked the 991 Turbo for a fuel-saving intermediate PDK gear setup, which shifts the car up a gear earlier than normal. Their tester said it made the car “deeply unresponsive: it feels like it’s on the verge of stalling”. As the latest 911, it is also fresher faced but, parked up side-by-side, all I can think of is how good the 997 still looks.
Brand new, the Porsche 997 Turbo S cost £123,000 from new, which is about £137,500 in today’s money. List price for a Porsche 991 Turbo S is £140,850, so a little bit dearer. The Porsche 991 Turbo S was a pre-owned example with 1,300 miles on the clock and sold for £135,000, while their Porsche 997 Turbo S had less than 25,000 miles and was closer to £75,000. That’s a 60 grand difference for new versus (not so) old.
Not saying the 991 is not worth the money or that the 997 is super cheap but it certainly puts choice and value into perspective. The reality is that someone looking at the 991 Turbo wants a 991 and the real purchase choice is this versus used McLaren, or used Ferrari. In comparison, the 997 Turbo S is a well priced list topper for those in search of the ultimate GT 911.
Given £75k to spend on one 911, would you go for a Porsche 997 Turbo S? Or would it be early 911 – maybe a simple 911T? 930 of some description? I could be tempted to opt for the 997 Turbo S. That shape rings true in my head: more than I remember a 993 or 996 ever doing.
by John Glynn | Jun 29, 2014 | Porsche News, Race and Rally
America’s Connor de Phillippi was denied a decent result at the Norisring this weekend, when chaos on a wet street course stopped the Californian’s Carrera Cup championship challenge in its tracks. De Phillippi was forced out of both races due to contact.
Both Carrera Cup races held on the exciting street circuit through Hitler’s former Nuremberg parade grounds brought the same face to the top step. Lechner Racing‘s Michael Ammermüller took debut back-to-back Carrera Cup wins in grand style, with a huge lead at the chequered flag in race 2.
I say huge: it was five seconds, but five more seconds separated second through to sixth. Carrera Cup Deutschland is the closest Porsche racing anywhere, so to finish five seconds ahead in these conditions with such strong opposition is super impressive.
First loser in race 2 was Earl Bamber, but the 23 year-old Kiwi who won a €200,000 Porsche Supercup scholarship at the start of 2014 is proving his massive talent every time he takes to the circuit. Starting seventh on the grid, Bamber had a great start, stayed focused and saved his tyres to pull skillful moves on Christian Engelhart and Porsche Junior, Sven Müller towards the finish, and finish second overall.
“It was like go-karts, battling all the way,” said Bamber. The post race video below shows how true that is, as Bamber, Engelhart, Muller and Ammermüller slip and slide on a greasy track within inches of each other. It is great racing and perhaps slightly worrying for Weissach.
Carrera Cup and Supercup is the breeding ground for future works drivers. If the baby-faced Müller can finish P3 in his first wet Carrera Cup race behind an undeniable 911 expert and the prodigious talent of Bamber, where will he racing in twelve months’ time? Weissach’s works squad had better watch out for these Carrera Cup kids: they are easily good enough to challenge for works drives.
Top of the driver’s table now is Konrad Motorsport’s Christopher Zöchling, another rising star. These are all names you will hear much more about! Zöchling leads by two points from Bamber, with De Phillippi a point down in third. Watch this race video from Porsche AG.
![Porsche Drive-In Movie Festival at Le Mans Classic]()
by John Glynn | Jun 24, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Race and Rally
Nice idea from the team at Le Mans Classic this year, as the organisers have decided to erect an inflatable movie screen and show porsche drive-in movies in the Le Mans circuit infield on Friday and Saturday nights.
The inflatable screen will be installed near the famous Dunlop Bridge. Filmgoers will be provided with an audio headset, so not to be disturbed by the roaring sound of engines coming from the circuit.
Movies being shown at Le Mans will please Porsche fans. The Friday night menu includes:
- 21:30 – A Man and a Woman (Claude Lelouch)
- 23:55 – C’était un Rendez-Vous ; “It was a date” (Claude Lelouch)
- 00:00 – Bullitt (Peter Yates)
Saturday’s schedule features:
- 21:30 – Le Mans (Lee H. Katzin)
- 00:05 – C’était un Rendez-Vous ; “It was a date” (Claude Lelouch)
- 00:15 – Weekend of a Champion (Roman Polanski)
Steve McQueen in Bullitt and Le Mans will keep the crowds happy, but the other movies are also worth seeing. Rendez-Vous is short but sweet: the contrived early morning lap of Paris, supposedly driven in a V8 Mercedes, but the director allegedly dubbed it with the soundtrack of his V12 Ferrari 275GTB!
Weekend of a Champion is Polanski’s excellent documentary following Jackie Stewart through his 1971 Monaco Grand Prix weekend. It’s a considered look at motorsport of the era and gives an engaging insight into a driver at the top of his game, doubly concerned with safety and with beating his less safety-conscious rivals.
Each movie will be shown in its original version with French subtitles for foreign films and English subtitles for French films. “Who has never dreamed about the drive-in movie theatre?” asks Classic Le Mans. “It came to us from the United States, combining the two major national industries, auto and film. Le Mans Classic will recreate this atmosphere!”
Ferdinand Magazine is not at Classic Le Mans this year: Abu Dhabi beckons instead. Enjoy your CLM weekend and share your Porsche pics using Ferdinand Magazine’s Facebook page, our Twitter feed, or send them to us via email!
by John Glynn | Jun 23, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Modified Porsche Hot Rods, Road Trips
Nice email thread this weekend, as my buddy Craig from San Francisco picked up his latest Porsche purchase: a 1976 Porsche 911 Turbo Carrera. Bought in Denver, Colorado, Craig and wife Lori picked it up in person, then drove it home to California in a two-day road trip.
On my last trip to northern California, inveterate Porsche chopper Craig had the most amazing early 3-litre 930, in special order Albert Blue. He’d found that one on the other side of America, bought it and attempted to register it under the state’s smog laws. However, the work required to get it CA legal put him off. Being a muppet, he sold it.
Now, I can’t say too much here. I’ve sold cars I should have kept: no doubt you have too. But a SPECIAL ORDER ALBERT BLUE 930 is not the same as a common or garden SC, so I’ve booked a nipple tweak for Craig next visit.
Our friend then attempts to soothe his troubled soul by snapping up a 930 advertised on one of the US boards, within hours of it going online. Silver with Lobster interior is a nicely period combination, but the new owner has some work ahead to find the missing 15″ Fuchs, Recaro sports seats and who knows what else is no longer present. If anyone can do it, Craig can. That’s why they call US classifieds “Craig’s List”.
“It’s official,” said Craig. “I’m now the owner of a ’76 Turbo Carrera…again. Last year (for reasons that still escape me) I sold my Albert Blue Turbo Carrera. I’ve regretted that decision ever since. These cars have really gone ballistic since: mine sold for $155k shortly after I sold it. Just as I was thinking that I would never be able to afford one again, this one popped up in CO for a not-so-crazy price. I still can’t afford it but I bought it anyway! Not pretty, but all mine.
“With the keys in hand, it’s time for an epic road trip. I took the top shot from our hotel room while waiting for the wife to get ready, best angle of a 930 in my opinion. The first mod is already complete: R Gruppe license plate frame! WerkCrew sticker coming soon.”
The drive home offered a number of options. Ironically, Craig chose to ignore the opportunity to visit Craig, CO, and instead headed north from Denver into Wyoming. Cutting through Laramie and over the Medicine Bow National Forest, husband and wife entered Utah at Salt Lake City, skirting south of the Great Salt Lake before stopping briefly at Bonneville Salt Flats.
“I have to say, as bumped and bruised as the body is with 167k miles on the clock, she drives like it’s 1976 again,” says our hero. “This Porsche 930 is a good thirty-footer, but tracks perfectly straight and feels as solid as the day it was screwed together: a testament to Porsche engineering. No funny noises or smells or anything but, yes, those wheels must go!”
From Bonneville, it was over the border into Nevada for a monumental thrash through nowhere.com. I offered $50 towards a full-bore speeding ticket, quickly supported by fellow upsetters. When Arjen then shared a copy of his $1300 fine for doing 70 in a 55 and Craig said the tyres were 12 years old, we let him continue in peace.
The car eventually reached the safety of its new home late on Sunday night. Will he find the bits and pieces? How long will he keep it? What dramas are waiting to befall the Porsche fan when he goes to register it? All this and more in future updates. As the licence plate frame Craig took off the car on purchase said: “it’s cheaper than being married.” Aha!
